RAWALPINDI; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was denied a meeting with incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan for the fourth time on Thursday since taking office, despite clear directions from the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
Last week, the IHC had ordered the Adiala Jail superintendent to implement its March 24 ruling, which restored Imran Khan’s twice-a-week meeting schedule. However, Afridi said he was once again stopped by police outside Adiala Jail.
Speaking to reporters, the KP CM said consultations with Imran were essential before finalising his provincial cabinet. He was accompanied by PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, who had been designated by the court to coordinate meeting lists with jail officials.
Afridi lamented that his repeated legal efforts — including appeals to the Punjab Home Department, the federal government, and the IHC — had not resulted in permission to meet the party founder. “Imagine someone in Pakistan being so powerful that they consider themselves above the Constitution and the law,” he said. “We are now left wondering what to do next.”
He added that the PTI leadership would meet soon to decide a plan of action.
In a video statement, Senator Aon Abbas Buppi, standing beside Afridi, said both of them were included in the approved visitors’ list but were stopped by Punjab Police on their way to Adiala Jail. “What could be more shameful? The IHC’s chief justice allows the CM to meet his leader in writing, yet a Grade 17 officer refuses to obey,” Buppi remarked, calling the act open defiance of judicial authority.
Earlier, Afridi had warned that if he were denied access again, he would file a contempt petition against the Adiala Jail administration for violating IHC orders.
Since taking oath on October 15, Afridi has made several unsuccessful attempts to meet Imran. On his first visit, he waited two hours but was refused entry. Despite the IHC’s October 23 order reinstating the meeting schedule, his subsequent visits on Tuesday and Thursday were also blocked.
Delay in KP Cabinet Formation
Meanwhile, Afridi continues to face pressure from opposition lawmakers in the KP Assembly over delays in announcing the provincial cabinet. The chief minister told reporters that a “compact and need-based” cabinet would be announced soon.
Imran Khan’s sister, Uzma Khanum, had earlier told Afridi that he had “complete authority” to form his cabinet independently. A message from Imran’s official X account also quoted him as directing Afridi to select ministers entirely at his discretion.
Opposition MPAs have warned that the delay in cabinet formation is crippling administrative functions and could lead to a constitutional crisis in the province.
